Remember childhood days spent listening to the “grown ups” in your family as they shared life experiences from the days before you were born?
Maybe you heard your grandfather – the man you knew only as a retired railroad engineer – talk about life as an 18-year-old infantryman during World War I. Or perhaps you were surprised to hear your 98-year-old aunt – the one you never saw walking without a cane – describe her years as a professional dancer in New York City. Full of priceless details about people you thought you knew well, these stories -- examples of personal history -- became permanently etched in your memory and forever changed the way you now remember these special people.
Unfortunately, far too many families are letting stories like these slip away, never having been preserved for future generations. Now is the time to avoid making the mistake of your lifetime, and Bob McCarty, L.L.C., of St. Louis can help.
Personal historian Robert "Bob" McCarty is a passionate believer in the need to preserve personal history. His passion stems from a day in 1992 when he received a copy of his father’s self-published autobiography, Some Events in One Life: Mine. The product of nearly a decade of post-retirement labor, Ted McCarty’s 126-page chronological account of his first seven decades on the planet isn’t likely to appear on any bestseller lists. Instead, Some Events stands to do something more valuable: provide a man’s children, grandchildren and future generations a glimpse into his life and a new perspective on what life was like during the times in which he lived.
In much the same way as his father preserved his personal history, Bob can help you preserve your personal history and tell your story by taking you through a step-by-step process as follows:
- Bob interviews you and edits your story for publication in your choice of formats, including audiotape, book, CD, DVD or videotape;
- Bob organizes, edits and prints the family histories you have already written;
- Bob helps you write an ethical will – not a legal document, but a concrete record of your personal values, lessons learned, advice and hopes for the lives of the people for whom you care the most (i.e., your children, grandchildren and special friends); and
- Bob makes copies of your personal history and/or ethical will and assists you in distributing these copies to your family members and/or friends.
Maybe you've always wanted to preserve memories of long ago. Maybe you've thought of writing a biography or -- as celebrities and politicians say -- "publishing your memoirs." Regardless of the format you choose to tell your story, you can pass down stories, values and observations to future generations, and Bob McCarty, L.L.C., can help you do it.
For answers to common questions about the process of preserving your personal history, click here.
If you’re ready to start the process or have other questions, contact us by e-mail today.
